Why It Matters
Austal USA LLC lists fiscal year 2027 authorizations, appropriations, and budget reconciliation as its lobbying issues in its 2026 third-quarter report. The third-quarter filing lists Homeland Security among its issue areas.
By the Numbers
Austal USA's three third-quarter 2026 lobbying filings in the record total $251,091, including $171,091 in its in-house report, $60,000 from S-3 Group LLC, and $20,000 from Capitol Integration LLC.
Three registrants filed for the third quarter of 2026:
Bramer Group LLC and Bob Riley & Associates LLC, both of which filed for Austal USA in the second quarter of 2026, have no third-quarter 2026 filing in the record.
The in-house filing names one lobbyist: Matthew Bishop, Austal USA's government relations manager, who has prior government experience connected to Rep. Jerry L. Carl (R-AL-1). S-3 Group LLC's filing lists Jose Ceballos, Chanda Betourney, John Scofield, Martin Delgado, Matt Bravo, and Olivia Kurtz. Capitol Integration LLC lists no lobbyists.
Broader Context
Neither fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill has been enacted, and a continuing resolution, H.R. 6500 (P.L. 119-103), funds the government through December 11. The House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 9495, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2027, on June 26, and H.R. 9310, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act 2027, on June 12. The sources reviewed show no Senate companion for either. A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report dated Sept. 30 confirmed that fiscal year 2027 Department of Homeland Security appropriations had not been enacted.
On the authorization side, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 18 to 9 on June 11 to advance its fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the Senate floor. A Congressional Research Service report dated Sept. 1 said the NDAA had not been enacted and identified H.R. 8800 in the House and S. 4784 in the Senate. The House passed H.Con.Res. 113, a fiscal year 2027 budget resolution that sets budget levels for fiscal year 2028 through fiscal year 2036 and includes reconciliation instructions, on July 22, with a Sept. 11 deadline for committees to submit recommendations to the House Budget Committee.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers backed President Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 defense budget in January 2026, arguing it would rebuild military capability and speed shipbuilding and aircraft production. In April 2026, the Coalition on Human Needs, Public Citizen, and Friends Committee on National Legislation organized a letter signed by 289 organizations urging Congress to reject the Pentagon budget request, arguing it would represent a 50% increase over fiscal year 2026 Pentagon funding and that the Pentagon had never passed an audit.
Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS-4) posted on Dec. 8, 2025, about attending the keel laying of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Pickering in Mobile, citing maritime security and Gulf Coast jobs.
The Bottom Line
The continuing resolution, H.R. 6500, provides fiscal year 2027 continuing appropriations through December 11, 2026. The fiscal year 2027 NDAA also awaits Senate floor action. The clearest change across complete quarters is the departure of Bramer Group LLC from Austal USA's outside roster after the second quarter of 2026.
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